As of Jan. 12, leading indicators of flu activity in Chicago had dropped to early December levels, according to the latest data from the city health department. However, those same numbers remain significantly higher than what they were at this point in previous flu seasons since the swine flu pandemic in 2009.

On a conference call this morning, CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden called the flu season "worse than average," with a particularly devastating impact on the elderly. Nearly half of all flu-related hospitalizations since Oct. 1 were for people 65 and older, according to the CDC.

In Chicago, almost three-quarters of this season's hospital visits due to flu-like symptoms have been among people 50 and older. Morita said this season's dominant strain — H3N2 — tends to affect young and old people more than other variations.

Health officials have also blamed H3N2 for the flu season's early start. It kicked off a month sooner than usual, Frieden told reporters.

While the CDC said this morning that the country is experiencing spot shortages of the flu shot, Morita said Chicago's supply is holding up well.

Despite "signs that things are slowing down," Morita recommended that people should still get vaccinated and call ahead to make sure the flu shot is in stock.

"We still need to keep our guard up," she said. "Our flu season is not over."

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